History Manga / SayonaraZetsubouSensei

Nothing to do with ''GoodbyeMrChips''.

'''Nozomu:''' [[PhraseCatcher How normal.]]

'''''I'm in despair! [[TVTropesRiunedYourLife TV Tropes has left me in despair!]]'''''

'''''I'm in despair! [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes has left me in despair!]]'''''

'''''I'm in despair! The fact that [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes ruined my life]] has left me in despair!'''''

* RedAndBlackKeepBack: Used in a parody of James Bond to mark the villain.

* StalkerWithACrush: Boy is Nozomu (un)lucky to have at least one of these.

** In ''Zoku'', one of his neighbors is a cute young college girl who occasionally brings him homemade meals and commiserates with him about whatever rotten thing his students did to him that day. The end of episode 8 reveals that [[spoiler:the girl is actually Kafuka in a wig, complete with creepy [[Film/FatalAttraction bunny-boiler]] overtones]].

* StrongFamilyResemblance: Majiru looks like a young Nozomu. He even has the same dress sense as his uncle. Nozomu and Mikoto are also identical.

** In an episode dealing with countercurrents, a background character comments that he got into {{Hayao Miyazaki}}'s films through those of his son [[TalesFromEarthsea Goro]], leading to a comment that "there's some currents that shouldn't be traveled".

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Parodied in the MagicalGirl spoof, Model Warrior Lily Cure. When Masked Despair starts monologuing, Kafuka just blows him away before he can even say, "Let me finish!"

* TheTetrisEffect: In a chapter dealing with Chiri coming to clean Nozomu's house, she ultimately falls into this in a typically crazy way, stacking objects and people in an attempt to eliminate "dead space". At one point, Harumi comments about Chiri always being good at Tetris.

* TitleDrop: In the ''Goku'' Episode 2, after Chiri decides that the show needs more despair so that it can match its title by dropping Nozomu off a cliff into a pack of ravenous wolves below.

* {{Troll}}: Meru is the most obvious example.
** And she's not the only one. Nozomu advises his students to start trolling to avoid being trolled.
--->'''Abiru:''' "I always have."
--->'''Nami:''' "I think that just came naturally."
* {{Tsundere}}: Mayo Mitama is said to be one. If she is, though, she's probably the tsunnest {{Tsundere}} ever.

-->'''Director:''' "I'm in despair! This world where even faithful film adaptations earn nothing but criticism has left me in despair!"
-->'''Nozomu:''' "Mr. Director, [[HeyThatsMyLine that was my line...]]"
* UnreadablyFastText: The first few episodes of season one opened with Unreadably Fast Anecdotes. Weird gags also show up before every episode title card. Most of Nozomu's lists of whatever he's despairing about at the moment also probably count.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: The upshot of every girl in class being in love with Nozomu. He's almost pathologically resistant to their affections (ethical concerns aside), but is painfully aware of the UST, which is why he has stopped resisting Matoi's antics, as doing so only spurs her to more extreme behavior. Class 2-He exists in a kind of equilibrium where the tension never boils over, at least until somebody/something kicks over the anthill, such as Nozomu's arranged marriage in season 1 and his flirtatious body-double Haga in ''Zan''.

-->'''Kafuka:''' "[=MILFs=] in schoolgirl uniforms are lame!"
-->'''Nami:''' "See, now he's acting like a schoolboy!"

--->'''Nozomu:''' "I'm in about a [[BeyondTheImpossible 53-way relationship!]] It's almost like a circle!"
--->'''Kafuka:''' "To smooth over the prickliness we need more and more points! Otherwise the class will become bloodthirsty! ... Get more relationships with people in town! [[RefugeInAudacity By adding more and more points, the polygon will infinitely become close to being a circle, and mankind will be at peace!]]"

* UnsoundEffect: A RunningGag. The most notable is Matoi's constant "''jiiiiiiiii''" for staring, but there are numerous instances where a chorus of girls will say a sound effect (with it often being written on-screen as well).

* WallOfWeapons: one episode of ''Zan'' has Chiri revealing one behind a blackboard.

* AWorldwidePunomenon: Oh dear Lord, ''everyone with a name'' has this applied to them. A more obscure example is Mikoto's first appearance when Kafuka visits him and calls him "Itoshiki-sensei," which what she would call Nozomu and Mikoto just sits there is says "Yes?" because "sensei" can mean "teacher" or "doctor."

** Chiri is also frequently goes from obsessive-compulsive to completely psychotic. While she doesn't have much of a "dere" side she fits the concept of "love makes your murderous idea". For instance, when Nozomu tried going out like a celebrity, he visited a high-class call girl and tried to drown in Dom Perignon. When said lady brings him the bill at school and he complains about the expenses of dying, a displeased Chiri brings a knife and tells him that he can die for free. Another case of Chiri going nuts is when Nozomu (and guest commentators) immediately and bluntly rejected her suggestion that they could be a successful match (''proper love'') in the "Maybe Maybe" episode, despite considering and conceding the possibility of success of romantic relationships with Abiru (''[[StealthPun puppy]] love''), Nami (''normal love''), Manami (''unfaithful love''), Kaere (''violent love''), Chie (''adult relationship''), Maria (''acquaintanceship'') and even Ikkyu (''HoYay''), upon their suggestions. Her equally immediate response is just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F76zNOmmJjI&feature=related frighteningly hilarious]].

** In chapter 223, Chiri, the most violent girl in the classroom, found Kafka to be seriously dangerous.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Completely averted -- everyone except Kaere (who's Caucasian anyway) has black hair, and their hairstyles, while distinct, are still realistic.
** As for Kaere, she has blonde hair, which is still part of the natural hair color spectrum.

What do you get when you take a man who is depressed to the point of melodramatic suicide, and make him the teacher of a psychologically-dysfunctional class full of maniacs, psychos and misfits? No, it's not like your average SliceOfLife show. Instead, what {{Koji Kumeta}}'s ''Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei'' ("Goodbye, Mr. Despair", "mister" as in the salutation for a teacher) has become in its dark, disturbed humor and wisecracking background trivia is one of the most amusing MindScrew series ever witnessed.

Following that, a set of three [=OVAs=] titled ''Goku: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei'' (Prison: Goodbye, Mr. Despair) was bundled with the limited edition of volumes fifteen and sixteen of the manga, with the second one released independently, and a third season, ''Zan: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei'' (Repent/Remainder: Goodbye Mr. Despair), recently finished airing. There's one final two-part OVA, titled ''Zan: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi'' (Repent/Remainder: Goodbye Mr. Despair Outside Ground), which was bundled with the manga. According to messages in the opening of the second episode, [[spoiler:this will be the last we see of Itoshiki-sensei]]. [[spoiler: Having said that, it would [[SubvertedTrope hardly be out of keeping with the show]] (and [[StudioShaft its home studio]]) for this [[ILied to turn out to be untrue]].]]

!!The following tropes have left us in despair:

* AccidentalPervert: Subverted. During the HotSpringsEpisode, the wall between the men's and women's baths falls over. Poor Nozomu freaks out and ScreamsLikeALittleGirl, because the girls don't care if he sees them naked.

* ActorAllusion: [[AkikoYajima Rin]] usually shows up with her ass facing the camera, in the same vein as ShinChan.

** A quick shot early in the anime shows Nozomu reading HoneyAndClover, where he voiced one of the protagonists.
** Sensei's old friend happens to like girls with pony tails. The old friend is voiced by [[HaruhiSuzumiya Kyon]] who also likes pony tails.

* AnachronicOrder: Not that it really matters, since the series is completely episodic, but notably in the anime, Nami's introduction episode is saved for the second season (where she had just showed up in one episode with no fanfare in the first season). The anime has so far been in a different order from the manga, so if you take Nami in stride, the entire anime is probably anachronistic.

* ApatheticTeacher: Definitely Nozomu, who is often too "in despair" to even come to class and doesn't do much teaching when he does. Probably Chie as well -- she has some of the attitude, and doesn't really seem to do any kind of conseling, although she's the one teaching Nozomu's classes when he doesn't show up.

* TheArtOfWar: a quote is mentioned in the fifth episode.
* ArtShift: E.g. the first ED video of the second season portrays all characters in distinctive {{Shoujo}} - [[BoysLove Shounen Ai]] - bishie-ish style, while the third OP features the characters in MagicalGirl style, complete with massive eyes and an upbeat poppy theme song. And [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue hair]]. ''Lots'' of blue hair.

** The end of the first third of ''Goku'' Episode 2 shows Nozomu as he would look like in another series by Kumeta, KatteniKaizo.

** The last third of ''Zan'' Episode 8, set aboard the Mystery Train, goes into a roughly-sketched cutout style that comes across as rather trippy. There are art shifts that occur within this medium change as well, mainly pertaining to the art style used for faces, which are drawn for major characters. The same style has been reused in another StudioShaft series: PuellaMagiMadokaMagica.

** During the dream episode in ''Zoku'', Usui was drawn in a style similar to JojosBizarreAdventure (particularly the art used in the third series).

* BattleAura: Chiri exhibits one a la DragonBallZ in Episode 2 of the first season, because cutting cake is SeriousBusiness.

* BerserkBoardBarricade: Subverted, as Kafuka and Nozomu build one to lock in Kiri.
** Nozomu seemed to be doing it as ReversePsychology. Kafuka's just crazy.
* BestBeerEver: Nozomu in the second ending to ''Zan''.
** And Maria once with "children's beer".

* {{Bishonen}}: Nozomu Itoshiki and his brother Mikoto.
** Also, four of his only known male students: Jun Kudou, Kuniya Kino, Aoyama and Haga.
* {{Bishojo}}: All but two of the "focus" students are female; this is {{lampshade}}d in the post-credit ending of episode ten.
** Except one {{Gonk}}ish girl.
*** Who photoshops herself and is an internet celebrity.

-->'''Original Japanese:''' "Hey Kanako, if you marry someone named Oba, you'll become Oba Kanako." (Obaka na ko means "stupid kid")
-->'''English Translation:''' "Hey Kana-chan, if you marry a man named Mr. Lingus, you'll become Kana Lingus."

* BrickJoke: In the last half of first season's Episode 1, Kafuka claims Kiri is a zashiki-warashi, a playful demon/spirit that also protects its home from decline and ruin as long as it's there. In Zan, she leaves the school. [[spoiler:It crumbles to dust. Just like she said it would.]]
** One episode/chapter even depicts the "seven-year punchline", when a woman burst out of a wall that she had been trapped behind. This was the punchline of a joke from KatteniKaizo. And it's been ''seven years'' since that chapter of ''Kaizo'' was first published.

-->'''Nozomu:''' "I'm in despair! (''Subject of Nozomu's rant'') has left me in despair!!" (''Zetsubou shita!'')
-->'''Nozomu:''' "What if I'd died?!" (''Shindara dou suru?!'')
-->'''Kafuka:''' "How could (''subject of Nozomu's rant'') be possible? It could be that (''insert extremely implausible explanation here'')!"
-->'''Kiri:''' "Don't open it." (''Akenaide yo.'')
-->'''Kaere:''' "I'll sue!" (''Uttaeruyo!'')
-->'''Nami:''' "Don't say 'normal'!" (''Futsuu te iu na!'')
-->'''Nami:''' "Sensei, you're speaking too much again!" (Whenever his {{Character Filibuster}}s portend disastrous consequences, such as Chiri going AxCrazy again)

-->*Matoi butts in a conversation*
-->'''Nozomu:''' "You've been behind me?!" ("Itan desu ka?!")
-->'''Matoi:''' "Yes. Always." ("E. Zutto.")

-->*Nami gives an example of her subject*
-->'''Nozomu:''' "[[PhraseCatcher How normal.]]"

* CatchphraseInterruptus: Nozomu's surprised when a one-shot character borrows his CatchPhrase. Also, in one episode Rin asks him if he's in despair, following one of his rants, before he has a chance to scream "I'm in despair!".
* CatholicSchoolGirlsRule: Kaere [[TransferStudentUniforms wears a]] [[NonUniformUniform westernized private school uniform]] with a plaid skirt. In the broader sense of adult women in school uniforms being attractive, Nozomu is shown to be attracted to Chie when she puts on a SailorFuku.

** Kiri was introduced a typical ill-tempered {{hikikomori}}, and while she loses this after Nozomu and Kafuka scare her into leaving home, she's definitely presented as fairly creepy during the first season. However, a couple of episodes into the second season, she acquires a sweet YamatoNadeshiko personality that she keeps for the rest of the series.
** Nozomu himself experienced this. He never with his rants, but earlier on was more misanthropic and constantly attempted suicide. This change is actually lampshaded in the series itself, as Chiri accuses him of no longer fitting the title of "Mr. Despair", something she tries to remedy by driving him off a cliff with ravenous wolves (complete with a TitleDrop).

* TheCollectorOfTheStrange: Abiru's collection of mounted animal tails.
** For that matter, Itoshiki Nozomu's collection of unwanted admirers, each with a quirk of her own.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: An entire episode is devoted to this trope, going so far as to have characters distracted by minor things while an alien invasion occurs, right down to Itoshiki looking up at a HumongousMecha attacking the city...and ultimately wondering why it has the word, "FART" written on its chest in big glowing kanji.

* CuteMute: Meru, who talks through her cellphone and sends people abusive text messages (it also helps that her limited vocalizations, usually wordless gasps, are voiced by StudioShaft mainstay seiyuu ChiwaSaitou). Mayo also never actually talks to anyone, you only hear her voice in a narrative sense. In ''Goku SZS'', she didn't communicate her idea verbally, words appeared above her head instead.

* DerangedAnimation: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQhF0aR274Q Oh god,]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjuF1qAb1Tg Goku's]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKRHiue2sIM openings.]]
** The tradition continues in ''Bangaichi'''s openings, especially the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXdAnLzHA80 second one]]. This features, among other things, some of the girls shooting the song's titular ''Ringo Mogire Beam'' from their crotches, exploding heads, [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever a 200-feet Maria]] running on the shore of Tokyo Bay, that same crazy art style as the infamous mysterious train episode of ''Zan'', and flying buildings (and whales and {{Katteni Kaizo}}'s Chitan). It's also double the normal length, so twice the crazy goodness!
* DepravedBisexual: Subverted by Nozomu. In one segment of Zan, for the sake of being open-minded, he had a one night stand with a butch, crossdressing gigolo (who looked like an unshaven twin of [[GreatTeacherOnizuka Onizuka-sensei]] in a dress) in a love hotel... and ''hated'' it (he was filled with despair while they were doing it).

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Maria is identical to [[CowboyBebop Ed]] in this and other aspects; Kiri also goes barefoot, perhaps because it's a Japanese custom to take off one's footwear inside the house, and Kiri isn't going outside any time soon.

-->"Even the author didn't think of such things when they were drawing it... Guess there are people who pointlessly distort something that deeply."
* EroticEating: Chie with a strawberry in the second ending of ''Zan''. There's also an instance in the manga where Nozomu has a thick sushi roll in his mouth and Nami sees [[YaoiFangirl Harumi]] smirking at the sight and she asks why she's smiling.
-->'''Harumi:''' "Nothing at all. Don't worry -- [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial I'm not planning to use it as future reference for my manga]]."
* EvolvingCredits: The opening to ''Zoku'' starts off in black and white. Despite additional animation, the "film" appears to gradually deteriorate episode by episode. In the penultimate episode, one scene of the sequence is in color for a few seconds before the film becomes misaligned and the next 20 or so seconds are simply the credits on a white background. In the last episode, the film quality is back to perfect and the whole sequence is in full color.

* FanArt: The first few opening sequences of ''Zoku'' feature a massive wall of fan art.
** In-series, there's Harumi and her {{yaoi}}. Also, at the end of each episode of ''Zan'' the "Zetsubou-Sensei Drawing Song" features renditions of Nozomu by the voice actors who also sing.
** Also, at the end of every episode for all seasons, there are artworks drawn by fellow mangaka. The list below shows which artists did, in episode order:
--->'''Season 1:''' Kazuhiro Fujita (UshioAndTora), Akimine Kamijyo (SamuraiDeeperKyo), Kouji Seo ({{Suzuka}}), Hideo Nishimoto, Shimoku Kio ({{Genshiken}}), Kazutoshi Soyama, RumikoTakahashi (RanmaOneHalf), Hiromu Arakawa (FullmetalAlchemist), Yukari Takinami, Masashi Asaki, Yuji Terashima, and KojiKumeta himself.
--->'''Zoku (Season 2):''' Katsuya Terada (BloodPlus), Maru Asakura, Hekiru Hikawa (PaniPoniDash), KunihikoIkuhara (RevolutionaryGirlUtena), Kenjirou Hata (HayateTheCombatButler; he also used to be Kumeta's assistant), Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (MobileSuitGundam), Tomonori Kogawa (AuraBattlerDunbine; he's also the storyboard director), Izumi Takemoto, Kenji Tsuruta (''Anime/AbenobashiMahouShoutengai''), Keitaro Arima (''Anime/TsukuyomiMoonPhase''), Yokusaru Shibata (AirMaster), UmeAoki (HidamariSketch), and KojiKumeta.
--->'''Goku (Season 2.5):''' Hidetoshi Oomori (MobileSuitGundam movies), Mako Aboshi (MariaHolic Alive), and HiroshiKamiya (Nozomu's seiyuu).
--->'''Zan (Season 3):''' Hiroaki Samura (BladeOfTheImmortal), Rendou Kurosaki, Asumiko Nakamura, Shunji Enomoto, Hiroshi Tamaru, Shizuru Hayashiya (HayateCrossBlade), Takako Shimura (WanderingSon), Hiroyuki Asada (TegamiBachi), Yumi Unita (BunnyDrop), Atsushi Kamijo, Yowoko Nihonbashi, Shou Tajima (OtogiZoshi), and KojiKumeta.
--->'''Bangaichi (Season 3.5):''' Range Murata (LastExile) and KojiKumeta.
* FanDisservice: Some fanservice scenes can be a little awkward when they're censored by the face of Maeda-kun, {{Koji Kumeta}}'s assistant, who sometimes is even facepalming disapprovingly. Shame on you.

* GirlsWithMoustaches: In one chapter a bunch of {{otaku}} reject normal women for having "subtle facial hair" (also a case of MinorFlawMajorBreakup.)
* GoodParents: Ironically, given the suspicions that he's an abuser, Mr. Kobushi is actually a very caring dad who has a close relationship with Abiru. Granted, one might question his seeming endorsement of her tail-pulling hobby.
** Or for that matter, Matoi's mother, who even ''supports'' her... [[StalkerWithACrush unhealthy habit]].

*** As of ''Bangaichi'', there are now ''seventeen'' females officially in love with/attracted to Nozumu, either openly (Kiri, Matoi, Chiri, Abiru, Mayo, Nami, Kirara, Maria, Tane, the freshman from another school (assuming she's not Kafuka in disguise), and even Niang-Niang) or secretly (Ai, Harumi, Meru, Chie, Manami, and of course Kafuka in her college-girl disguise).
* HeroicSociopath: Mayo Mitama... and she [[KarmaHoudini always gets away with it]] because no one would want to judge her based on appearance.

* HowDoYouLikeThemApples: Kafuka is shown holding a "symbolic-looking" apple in ''Bangaichi's'' version of ''Zan's'' opening theme, ''Ringo Mogire Beam!'' ("Apple Plucking Beam!") Apples also seem to be a TrademarkFavoriteFood for Maria, and when she's first introduced and receives gifts from her classmates, she's presented with "[[DeathNote Ryuk]]-brand apples. In Nami's introduction, she meets Kiri, who in her room at the school has a basket of apples addressed to "Zashki-warashi sama" (presumably from Maria and Kafuka).
* HypocriticalHumor: During the discussion of things not being true to the original, Halloween becoming a {{cosplay}} fest comes up. Chiri agrees that it's not good, and says that she's staying true to the spirit by dressing as a witch...[[KikisDeliveryService while still cosplaying]].

* InherentlyFunnyWords: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pororoca Pororoca]] is first used by Kafuka who identifies it as a planet that she believes space aliens come from. Later on, the actual meaning is used by Nozomu to make an analogy to people becoming fans of various media. Also counting as inherently funny are the tongue-twister in the "in the last volume" openers and any real words that showed up in the GagSub episode.

-->'''Chiri:''' (Shows her hair partition) "This is where the contest parts!"

-->'''Kiri (sobbing):''' "I've only been opened by sensei before."
-->'''Nozomu:''' "Don't say things that will create misunderstandings!"

* KonamiCode during the opening for the MagicalGirl Spoof Meru's [[ImprobableWeaponUser Phone]] using this code (must be [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsyydNv4iq8 game breaking]]).

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: Every single chapter title is a reference to a work of literature, albeit in parody, and with the meaning twisted beyond all recognition.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Well, there's the four Itoshiki siblings (sans the missing fifth and eldest), said missing sibling's only son, their butler, 22 of Nozomu's 32 students, his two fellow teachers, his "old-time" friend, and a host of other [[DropInCharacter Drop-In Characters]].
* LoveDodecahedron: Played straight insofar as virtually every girl loves Nozomu; some of them have other love interests or boys that are interested in them, and Nozomu is well aware of their romantic expectations. Subverted in that he is exceptionally ambivalent to anything like a romantic relationship. He occasionally opens up to the possibility of romance, but nothing ever comes of it (except maybe a suicide attempt).

* LyricalDissonance: The first season's first ending, ''Zessei Bijin'', is about lovers' suicide set to a peppy swing jazz number.
** Also, ''Zan'''s first ending, ''Zetsubou Restaurant'', is a very dark song about a dreary restaurant that may or may not double as a brothel, also set to a jazz number.

* MeaningfulName[=/=]PunnyName: '''Every single named character''' has a name that is some sort of pun on his or her personality type. In fact, this almost seems to be to the point of AnthropomorphicPersonification. See [[{{Characters/Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei}} the Character Sheet]], lest this section become a complete duplication.

* OffModel: The art stays of high quality throughout, but there is constant lampshading throughout ''Zan'' about the animation quality suffering from the huge deadline crunch the animators were going through (as one gag noted, they were working on this, LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}, {{Negima}}, and HidamariSketch at the ''same time'').
* OnceAnEpisode: Itoshiki's declaration that something "has left me in despair!", as well as random items in the background (a dog with a stick in its butt, {{Koji Kumeta}}'s face, a stork carrying a baby, Kaere's latest PantyShot, etc. In fact, the manga even has a "find-them-all" challenge at the end of every chapter a la "[[{{Ptitleg2k460kk}} Where's Waldo?]]".
** In the third season, the shot with the diagonal clouds and the drawing song.

-->''Similarity to any actual paradises on Earth, interesting comics called ''Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei'', Blue Man, or Hata Kenjirou and his assistant who came to ADR, cipped in their voices, and got photographed with two of the actresses is purely coincidental.''

* PaintingTheFourthWall: The punctuation in Chiri's dialogue shows up on-screen in the lower right corner, accompanied by KabukiSounds.

** One of the second season episodes has a HomageShot sequence borrowed from EndOfEvangelion with Chiri (giant-sized) filling the role of EVA-02 (specifically, [[spoiler:Asuka's last stand]])... which leads directly to a shot of ten-foot panties.

* PhenotypeStereotype: Kaere -- half-Japanese, half-Caucasian.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: In the episode about preconceptions, Itoshiki decides at the end to be more accepting of all peoples. [[RefugeInAudacity So he doesn't turn down sex offers from a gay man]].

* RapeAsComedy: Mayo anally violates dogs with pencils and branches as a RunningGag.
** Matoi's clingy behavior occasionally borders on this, and then there was that one time when Abiru forced Nozomu to wear a tail from her collection...
--->'''Nozomu:''' "Pervert! This girl's a pervert!"
** One segment shows Commodore Perry wearing a rape face and started "opening" things: Kaere's legs apart, Kiri's forelocks, and a random male student's zipper on his pants, prompting a comment about him [[DepravedBisexual swinging both ways]].

** EyesOfGold: The girls sport golden glowing eyes in the opening to the third season.

* RefugeInAudacity: There's suicide, weird DavidLynch segments, gratuitous panty shots, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a song about the Rumba]].

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: Matoi's "Jiiiiiiiiii..." ("Stare...").

* SecurityBlanket: Kiri is nearly always wrapped in one, and a segment discussing her loss of it (and others' metaphorical security blankets) is titled "We are Linus", in reference to the TropeNamer from the CharlieBrown stories.

* SoundtrackDissonance: The final episode of the first season features Nozomu hanging himself ([[RunningGsg again]]) while "HappyBirthdayToYou" plays in the background. Furthermore, cheerful or peaceful music is always playing when Kafuka presents an implausibly optimistic view of a negative situation.
* SplitPersonality: Kaere, between lawsuit-crazy ButNotTooForeign Kaere and demure YamatoNadeshiko Kaede. If an (as usual) fairly surreal anecdote is to be believed, Kafuka in her childhood as well.
* SpoofAesop: Anything Itoshiki considers a valid {{aesop}} -- the show doesn't tend to take him very seriously, and invites the viewer to do the same.

** Other girls whom Nozomu apparently started falling for include a mysterious college girl introduced in ''Zoku'' and confessed to him in ''Zan'' who works at a Maid Cafe, making desperate losers fall for her. The absurdity of the situation arises from the fact that Nozomu was never one of her customers, so it's not only a complete role-reversal for her but a totally unexplained one unless Chiri's explanation is to be believed -- that his popularity with girls is starting to spread beyond the classroom. Interestingly, in ''Zoku'' Episode 13 [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeJAHff9UlA Kafuka]] was shown to work in the same cafe. She's also without her standard hairclip in later appearances. May be coincidental, [[spoiler:but other hints imply that the mysterious girl is none other than Kafuka in disguise]].

* BlackComedy: Perhaps intended to give viewers an idea of what to expect, the first few '''minutes''' of the anime open with the main character attempting to hang himself. It's a [[SuicideAsComedy comedy]], really!

* BlackComedy

* FridgeLogic: Lampshaded once during the whole "thank-you thievery" bit. During a rainstorm, Chiri gives Harumi a drink pouch under an umbrella (Harumi is holding it initially). Harumi then holds the drink pouch in one hand and a manga volume in the other, and Chiri has her hands at her side, visible. ''No one is holding up the umbrella''.

* HoYay: There's a bit in episode 10 of ''Zoku'', with all of the boys in the class directing it towards Nozomu.
** One episode has a segment looking at chicken/egg issues and giving just-so-story explanations. For the issue of whether underwear proceeded modesty, Jun and Kino are shown as Adam and (St)eve in the Garden of Eden and "check each other out" before opting for fig leafs.

* LesYay: Chie and Kiri on occasion.

** One chalkboard gag also features [[HiroshiKamiya Nozomu]] drawn in the style of OnTheNext ''Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}}'', and one scene where he brought a flight simulator in class even depicts him in a [[MobileSuitGundam00 Celestial being]] spacesuit, with a Tieria lookalike behind him. Another instance might be the naming of the series. The second season is ''Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei''. Compare with the second season of ''NatsumeYuujinchou'' likewise being called Zoku, and note that their protagonists are voiced by the [[HiroshiKamiya same guy]].

* OffModel: The art stays of high quality throughout, but there is constant lampshading throughout ''Zan'' about the animation quality suffering from the huge deadline crunch the animators were going through (as one gag noted, they were working on this, Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}}, {{Negima}}, and HidamariSketch at the ''same time'').

* ScheduleSlip: It didn't actually happen per se, but various comments within the show itself and Shaft's well publicized [[Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}} problems with meeting]] [[DanceInTheVampireBund deadlines over the last year or so]] indicate that they came very close to this with ''Zan'', and may explain the lower quality of animation compared to the first two seasons.

** One chalkboard gag also features [[HiroshiKamiya Nozomu]] drawn in the style of OnTheNext ''Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}}'', and one scene where he brought a flight simulator in class even depicts him in a [[MobileSuitGundam00 Celestial being]] spacesuit, with a Tieria lookalike behind him. Another instance might be the naming of the series. The second season is Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Compare with the second season of NatsumeYuujinchou likewise being called Zoku, and note that their protagonists are voiced by the [[HiroshiKamiya same guy]].

--->'''Zoku (Season 2):''' Katsuya Terada (BloodPlus), Maru Asakura, Hekiru Hikawa (PaniPoniDash), KunihikoIkuhara (RevolutionaryGirlUtena), Kenjirou Hata (HayateTheCombatButler; he also used to be Kumeta's assistant), Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (MobileSuitGundam), Tomonori Kogawa (AuraBattlerDunbine; he's also the storyboard director), Izumi Takemoto, Kenji Tsuruta (''Anime/AbenobashiMahouShoutengai''), Keitaro Arima ([[{{Ptitle3p9gceog}} Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase]]), Yokusaru Shibata (AirMaster), UmeAoki (HidamariSketch), and KojiKumeta.

--->'''Zoku (Season 2):''' Katsuya Terada (BloodPlus), Maru Asakura, Hekiru Hikawa (PaniPoniDash), KunihikoIkuhara (RevolutionaryGirlUtena), Kenjirou Hata (HayateTheCombatButler; he also used to be Kumeta's assistant), Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (MobileSuitGundam), Tomonori Kogawa (AuraBattlerDunbine; he's also the storyboard director), Izumi Takemoto, Kenji Tsuruta (AbenobashiMahouShoutengai), Keitaro Arima ([[{{Ptitle3p9gceog}} Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase]]), Yokusaru Shibata (AirMaster), UmeAoki (HidamariSketch), and KojiKumeta.

* AnimeAccentAbsence: Averted in the fake 'Story So Far' segment of ''Zan'''s 11th episode: the American official and Bob the left-wing academic have absolutely terrible American accents.

* CharlieAndTheChocolateParody: One manga chapter has Rin opening a chocolate factory catering to nerdy guys without girlfriends. She explains that it is a "[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean cherry]] and chocolate factory".

** One episode has a segment looking at chicken/egg issues and giving just-so-story explanations. For the issue of whether underwear proceeded modesty, Jun and Kino are shown as Adam and (St)eve in the Garden of Eden and "[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean check each other out]]" before opting for fig leafs.

* DepravedBisexual: Subverted by Nozomu. In one segment of Zan, for the sake of being open-minded, he had a one night stand with a butch blonde tranny gigolo (who looked like an unshaven twin of [[GreatTeacherOnizuka Onizuka-sensei]] in a dress) in a love hotel... and ''hated'' it (he was filled with despair while they were doing it).

** One chalkboard gag also features [[HiroshiKamiya Nozomu]] drawn in the style of OnTheNext ''{{Bakemonogatari}}'', and one scene where he brought a flight simulator in class even depicts him in a [[MobileSuitGundam00 Celestial being]] spacesuit, with a Tieria lookalike behind him. Another instance might be the naming of the series. The second season is Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Compare with the second season of NatsumeYuujinchou likewise being called Zoku, and note that their protagonists are voiced by the [[HiroshiKamiya same guy]].

* OffModel: The art stays of high quality throughout, but there is constant lampshading throughout ''Zan'' about the animation quality suffering from the huge deadline crunch the animators were going through (as one gag noted, they were working on this, {{Bakemonogatari}}, {{Negima}}, and HidamariSketch at the ''same time'').

* ScheduleSlip: It didn't actually happen per se, but various comments within the show itself and Shaft's well publicized [[{{Bakemonogatari}} problems with meeting]] [[DanceInTheVampireBund deadlines over the last year or so]] indicate that they came very close to this with ''Zan'', and may explain the lower quality of animation compared to the first two seasons.

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Nozomu during the second half of Episode 5 of the first season, combined with a BigNo. What makes it even funnier is that [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iHU_pChy_s&feature=related in such a situation]], the roles should be reversed.

* AlternateCharacterReading: The series is ''really'' fond of these.

** In one chapter/episode, Nozomu is doing his typical commentary around town and stops at a Tsundere Maid Cafe and sees Kafuka there. He scolds her for not being at school. Obviously, Nozomu should be at school too, since he's her teacher- he actually [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything does so little teacher]] that it doesn't immediately come across as HypocriticalHumor.